Restaurant La Boulangerie

Georges Rouzeau-2010-04-06

The 20th arrondissement is the epitome of the rough-and-ready working-class district of Paris. Belleville hill is higher than Montmartre and, admittedly, miles from anywhere – for Parisians too – but good gourmet guides are meant to take us off the beaten track. Fortunately, there are good places like La Boulangerie. This fine little establishment is forging ahead with good, well-crafted and reasonably priced gourmet bistro-style cuisine (set lunch menus from €14, set dinner menu €32), a superb wine and whisky list (including a fine selection of affordable magnums of wine and 14 Japanese varieties of whisky) and a convivial “foodie” atmosphere. An old boutique dating back to the early 20th century provides a retro setting with its counter, tiles, red benches and old-fashioned wallpaper. The walls are covered with boards recommending such and such organic table wine from Auvergne produced by Marie and Vincent Tricot (€27 ) or champagne (€8 a glass) made by Bruno Michel, a champion of organic viticulture in Champagne. The menu features classic French dishes handled with finesse (foie gras, guinea fowl supreme, stuffed cabbage), a technological touch with the tender beef cooked on a low heat for three hours, a few dishes with an oriental twist (scallops in coconut milk, Javanese-style prawns, oriental-style root vegetables) and elegant, light desserts.

 

15, rue des Panoyaux

75020 Paris

Tel: +33 (0)1 43 58 45 45